Centrifugal spinning, twisting, and analogous machine



Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITED l STATES PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGAL SPINNING, merma, AND

' ANALoGoUs MACHINE william Prince-smith, Keighley, England Application' May 25, 1940, Serial No. 337,298 In Great Britain May 15, 1939 This invention relates to spinning, twisting, and analogous machines, and in particular to machines, for the centrifugal spinning, twisting, or the like,v of'yarns, threads and similar fibrous materials, wherein each yarn is traversed vertically by a reciprocating'guide within a revolving yarn holder upon the inner surface of which the l, livery means being automatically stopped for that purpose and the yarn holder continuing to revolve; provision also being made for a suillcient length of yarn to extend above the bobbin to enable a bobbin when filled to b e doffed without the yarn being subjected to strain.

The invention has for its object to reduce to a minimum the strains to which the yarns are subjected in centrifugal spinning and like machines, especially during the doillng operation.

According to the invention strain on or breaking of a yarn during dolng in a centrifugal spinning, twisting or like machine is avoided by the provision above the normal yarn mass in a yarn holder of a supplementary length of yarn which is taken up by a bobbin when rewinding and paid out thereby during doiling, without'imp'osing tension on the yarn.

To this end, the means for traversing the yarns within the holders are movable collectively in excess of the normal pick, in which position they are caused, after the spinning or like operation, to lay additional coils of yarn in the holders, and the bobbins are constructed with means to intercept and to receive the aforesaid supplementary length of yarn prior to and separately from the rewinding of the yarn mass thereonto. Also, the yarn holders are constructed or are provided with means to engage the yarns extending between them and the bobbin's when the latter are doffed.

45 In accordance with one constructional embodiment of the invention, a yarn spinning machine may be provided with a series of individually driven yarn holders into each of which a stationary tubular yarn guide and a reciprocable 50 tubular traverse guide project axially, and a series of bobbin supports may be located below said series of yarn holders and may-be so constructed and arranged as to enable bobbins or like externally wound packages to be introduced axially into 55 said yarn holders and also to be moved angularly with respect thereto. Each of said stationary tubularyarn guides may have an eyelet disposed at its upper end, and each of said reciprocable yarn guides may have an eyelet disposed at its .lower end.

The individually driven yarn holders may be supported in. overhead bearings carried by the machine frame which also supports the stationary yarn guides; and the reciprocable traverse guides,

into which the yarns are directed from the drawl0 ing lrollers by the eyelets in said stationary yarn guides, may be non-rotatably disposed concentrically of the yarn guides in respect to which they may be moved collectively by means of a traverse rail and suitable ltraversing mechanism. l5

In order to intercept and receive said supplementary length of yarn coiled in each yarn holder, each bobbin may be formed or provided with an upstanding collar at its upper end, having a peg or a lug on it or being notched to enable it to intercept the yarn when required.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings wherein are shown,

in sectional elevation, aportion of a machine frame and so much of a spindle unit and its associated parts as are requisite to the understanding of the invention as applied to the known type of centrifugal spinning machine embodying inverted cup-shapedyarn holders.

In Figure 1 the parts are shown in the spinning 30 position with a nearly completed yarn mass laid within the yarn holder by reciprocating traversing means which is shown at the bottom of its traverse. In Figure 2 the parts are shown in the position occupied after the laying of the supplementary length of yarn above the yarn mass in the yarn holder. l

In- Figure 3 the position of the parts is that occupied after re-winding of the yarn mass and the taking up of the supplementary length of yarn 4o by the bobbin have occurred, and in Figure 4 the position of the parts is that into which they have been moved in order to effect the severance oi the re-wound yarn prior to the doing of the bobbins.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing 45 the connections to the means for traversing the yarn within the yarn holder, Figure 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation of part of the yarn traversing means, Figure 'l is a fragmentary elevation of part of the yarn traversing means and part of a bobbin with the yarn mass and the supplementary length of yarn re-wound thereon, and Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view.

In carrying the invention into practical effect, apparatus of the following construction and means as hereafter described for guiding and traversing the yarns in the yarn holders may conveniently be adopted, but the invention is not necessarily limited thereto and may be utilized in connection with constructions and methods of operation differing therefrom.

I represents part of the main framework of one side of the machine to which is secured a plurality of brackets 2 supporting a fixed horizontal continuous rail 3. 4 indicates one of the lower front rollers by which the yarn Y is delivered to the respective spindle units.

Secured at intervals along the rail 3 is a number of overhead brackets or cages such as 5, each carrying upper and lower ball bearings 6, 6, whereof the inner races are fast on the tubular stem or neck 1 of an inverted cup-shaped yarn holder 8 supported by the cage 5 and adapted to be driven through the medium of the usual or appropriate mechanism by means of a tape (not shown) passing around a whorl 9 fixed to the tubular stem or neck 1.

Located below and coaxially with each yarn holder 8 is a spindle I0 secured adjustably in a bracket II fixed to a continuous rockshaft I2 supported at intervals by rack pillars such as I3 mounted so as to be slidable vertically in guides such as I4 fixed to a stationary continuous rail I5, the rack pillars I3 being actuated by pinions such as I6 keyed to an operating shaft I1 extending along the machine and deriving motion from known or appropriate mechanism, not shown,

The upper end of each spindle I0 terminates in a bobbin peg I8 at the lower end of which is a flange I9 upon which a bobbin 20 rests.

2I is a bracket secured to the top of the cage 5 and projecting forwardly so as to maintain a guide tube 22 concentrically within the tubular neck 1 of the yarn holder 8; the lower extremity of said guide tube 22 terminating slightly above the top of the yarn holder 8, and the upper end of said tube 22 being tted with a. pot-eye 23 constituting a stationary yarn guide.

24 is a traverse rail supported at intervals as usual by pokers such as 25 and adapted to be operated in the well understood manner by builder or traversing mechanism, and to this traverse rail 24 is secured adjacent to each spindle unit a forwardly projecting bracket 26 which supports a slidable tube 21 concentrically with and externally of said stationary guide tube 22.

This slidable tube 21, which is fitted at its lower end with an eyelet 28, and which constitutes a tubular traversing guide, is formed from its upper end to below the middle of its length with a. vertical slot 29 disposed rearwardly of the tube and terminating in an off-set recess or notch 30 at its lower end, and the tube 21 is connected to the bracket 26 detachably by means of a lug 3I projecting from the tube and having articulated to it at 32 a link 33 the free end of which is formed with a depending peg 34 receivable by a recess or an aperture formed in the forward end of the bracket 26. 'I'he width of the slot 29 in the tube 21 is greater than the width of the forwardly extending portion of the bracket 2I at its junction with the stationary guide tube 22.

During the operation of the machine the yarn Y, which passes from the periphery of the roller 4 to and through the stationary pot eye 23 and tube 22, emerges through the eyelet 28 in the tube 21 and beyond the radial length of yarn YI extending from the eyelet 28, becomes laid centrifugally upon the inner surface of the revolving yarn holder 8 wherein an annulus Y2 0f yarn iS In operation, the yarn is laid centrifugally on the interior surface of each yarn holder 8 until the required length has been caused to form an annular yarn mass as indicated at Y2 in Figures 1 and 2, and when this has been attained, the continuous traverse rail is elevated into the position shown in Figure 2 whereby the yarn guide eyelet 28 at the foot of each tubular yarn guide 21 is brought to a point which is higher than the normal pick so that, with the yarn holders still rotating, a few turns Y3 of yarn are laid in the holder 8 above the yarn mass Y2 therein. The bobbins 20 are then raised collectively by means of the rack and pinion mechanism I3, I4, I6 and I1, the delivery rollers 4 being automatically arrested during the last part of the upward movement of the spindles, as is well known, and as each bobbin 20 reaches its uppermost position the length of yarn uniting each guide eyelet 28 with the supplementary turns Y3 is intercepted b y the serrated or notched collar 38 at the top of each bobbin, causing these turns Y3 to become wrapped by the rotary movement of the yarn holder around the periphery of the collar 38, as seen in Figure 7, and the re-winding of the yarn mass Y2 on to the bobbin 20 to be initiated and continued until all the yarn within the yarn holder is transferred to and each bobbin is lled as in Figure 3. l

vIn order that the spinning of a fresh yarn mass in each yarn holder may be re-started, the full bobbins must be doied and replaced on the bobbin pegs le by empty bobbins, and for this purpose the spindles I0 are lowered collectively, by the appropriate operation of the rack and pinion mechanism I3, I4, I6 and I1 until the collars 38 on the respective bobbins are clear of the flanges of the corresponding yarn holders 8, during which descent of the bobbins the supplementary turns of yarn Y3 coiled around the collars 38 become drawn oil', there being suflicient length of yarn to avoid anyl tension whatever being imparted to the yarn by the lowering of the bobbins. 'Ihe rotation of the yarn holders 8 is now stopped and the full bobbins are tilted forwards collectively, by manipulating the rock-shaft I2, and then raised so as to bring the lengths of yarn Y3 into the path of the pegs 36 on the yarn holders 8, which latter are then set in motion again to cause the supplementary lengths of yarn Y3 to be bound round the pegs 36 and be severed thereby from the yarn on the bobbins, whereupon the bobbins are lowered to their inactive position of rest and after the full bobbins have been removed and replaced by empty bobbins the spindles are returned to the vertical position, spinning having been re-started in the yarn holders immediately after the severance of the yarns from the full bobbins.

What I claim is:

1. A centrifugal spinning, twisting or analogous machine of the kind specified, embodying a series of driven yarn holders into each of which an annular mass of yarn is laid by a series of yarn assenso traversing members capable also o! being moved collectively in excess of the normal pick to lay supplementary coils ofyarnabove said yarn mass, a series of bobbins provided with meansto interceptand to receivethe aforesaid supplementary coils o! yarn prior to and separately 'from the rewinding of the mass thereonto, means upon said yarn holders to engage the yarns extending between them andthe bobbins when the latter are dotted, and means to manipulate said yam traversing members and said Dobbins appropri- 'atelytoenablthedomnllflmbobbintobe effected without imposing sia-ain upon or breaking of the yarn.

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